NRC vote guarantees Oyster Creek license renewal
Nuclear plant's foes weighing their options
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer
The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the oldest nuclear plant in the country another 20 years of life.

PLANT PHOTO PROVIDED BY EXELON The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station seen here off Route 9 south in Lacey Township will run until 2029, after the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally issues another 20-year operating license.

Commission members voted 3-1 at the NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., on April 1 to dismiss a contention filed by a coalition of citizens and environmental groups that oppose the relicensing of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station off Route 9 in Lacey Township, NRC spokesman Neil R. Sheehan said.

The dismissal paves the way for the plant's relicensing this week, when its license expires April 9, Sheehan said.

"The likelihood is that there will be a renewal license issued by April 9," he said. "This was the remaining step, as far as the hearing process. Now that that has been concluded, the staff is working on preparing a renewal license."

The coalition, dubbed Stop the Relicensing of Oyster Creek [STROC], includes the Nuclear Information and Resource Service; the Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch Inc.; Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety (GRAMMES); New Jersey Public Interest Research Group; New Jersey Sierra Club; and the New Jersey Environmental Federation.

The coalition's contention dealt with the integrity of the thickness of the nuclear plant's drywell liner, the frequency of ultrasonic tests in the drywell's sand bed region, and its future conversion rate.

Brick resident Janet Tauro, a GRAMMES member, called the NRC's actions "very irresponsible."

"It's the kind of decision that can lead to very bad consequences," she said. "At this time, they still do not know how extensive the areas of rust are in the drywell. And sitting on top of the rusting vessel is 650 tons of radioactive waste. That's why this is frighteningly irresponsible."

Richard Webster, the attorney representing the six groups, said Monday that coali- tion members haven't yet decided what their next step is.

"We are still reviewing our appeal options," he said. "Then we have to see what happens in terms of the [Oyster Creek] staff's implementation of the things the commission asked them to do."

The coalition has also cited concerns about the 40-year-old plant's age, the reactor's spent fuel pool building, the plant as a target for terrorists, and evacuation problems in the event of a plant disaster.

"It's the oldest nuclear plant in the United States," said A. Gregory Auriemma, chairman of the Ocean County chapter of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "It has one of the worst safety records in the United States."

The spent fuel rods stored in the reactor building are a "ripe" target for terrorists, he said.

"If you put it all together, it's a witches' brew for disaster," Auriemma said.

The NRC didn't need to vote on issuing the license, but did need to vote on the coalition's appeal, Sheehan said.

"There will still be a document that will go before the commission as far as the actual issuance," Sheehan said. "It's more of a formality to weigh in. It's effectively been granted."

The coalition still has the option of going to federal court, Sheehan said.

"Generally if you go to federal court, the court will want to know if you exhausted your remedies with the agency," he said. "At this point, we've completed the hearing process. They could file a motion for a reconsideration of the commission's decision, but the hearing process is really completed now as far as the agency is concerned."

Coalition members have 60 days to decide on whether or not they want to appeal, Webster said.

"It's a long and complicated decision," he said of the NRC's April 1 ruling. "We need to read it in detail. Basically we have to keep pushing on safety, especially since the license has been granted."

In the end, the NRC made its decision based on the "entirety" of the evidence, including the ultrasonic testing, Sheehan said.

Oyster Creek spokesman David Benson said Monday that Exelon, the plant's owner, was confident the license would be officially renewed, but said the paperwork hadn't been received yet.

"We are really happy that this has happened," Benson said. "We felt all along that the plant's license would be renewed. Our primary goal is to serve this community."

Sheehan said early last week that he didn't expect the NRC to vote on the coalition's appeal or a license renewal before April 9.

But the situation "changed dramatically" last week, Sheehan said.

"They came together and they affirmed their votes," he said. "They have their voting sheets; they get to take their time to write out their comments.

The NRC's vote was affirmed at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., on April 1.

"We thought they were going to delay the vote, but apparently they acted somewhat hastily," Auriemma said.

Benson said he wanted to assure Ocean County residents that safety was Exelon's first priority at Oyster Creek, which he called a "special and unique place."

"It's literally to the extreme here," he said. "If the wind is blowing outside, they ask you to put on your safety glasses. Safety is so much a part of our everyday life. I would literally live right here [on the plant property] in the protected area if I was allowed. It's the safest place on earth."

"You know what, Dave? Don't invite me to dinner," Tauro said, after she learned about Benson's remarks about plant safety.